The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman - Chapter 601

“These are my guests. Master, please take care of the others behind me.”

Raon pointed with his finger towards the small boat carrying Dorian and the elves.

“Got it!”

Rimmer nodded lightly and immediately ran towards the boat.

-…Is that ear truly your master?

‘Well…’

He thought Rimmer might hesitate at least once, but he didn’t. He left without the slightest hesitation. As always, he was a remarkable person.

‘It’s better than being stubborn.’

Rimmer wasn’t used to using a sword with his left hand, and he still hadn’t fully recovered from his fight with the Flame Demon. Recognizing his limitations and stepping back was far better than stubbornly insisting on fighting together.

“You…”

Raon turned his gaze towards Shiran’s cracked voice.

“What did you just say!”

“I said, if you want to see your grandson so badly, I’ll send you to him.”

Raon twisted his mouth as he watched Shiran exhale murderous intent.

‘They’re similar.’

Not only in appearance, but their trashy personalities were alike. Knowing the atrocities his grandson had committed, it was laughable that Shiran had come out boldly seeking revenge.

‘Still, I can’t underestimate his skill.’

He calmed his racing heart with a sense of tension. Shiran had been a Grandmaster for a long time, and he wielded a fishing rod. It was a weapon Raon had never faced before, so he had to approach cautiously.

-Pathetic.

Wrath frowned at Raon.

-You should be able to crush such trash with a single finger.

‘That’s something only you can do.’

-Then hurry up and deal with him. I’m hungry!

‘…’

Ignoring Wrath’s words, Raon focused on Shiran’s movements.

“Huu….”

Shiran exhaled dryly, revealing his bloodshot eyes.

“I will erase you without leaving a single bone fragment!”

With a roar, he charged. His movement across the water was both mesmerizing and agile, like a wolf. It seemed like footwork designed for running on water.

Swoosh!

Shiran cast his gray fishing rod with one hand as if he were actually fishing. In the blink of an eye, the fishing bobber he threw reached Raon’s chest, spinning rapidly with deadly aura.

Raon held his breath and bent his knees. With the heated Heavenly Drive, he summoned the aura of flames.

Clang!

The clash of auras created a semi-circular trench in the wide Ferenc River, sending up a tremendous pillar of water that rained down like a storm.

Amidst the transparent raindrops, a silver flash appeared. It was the fishing hook shot by Shiran, its tip imbued with a lethal aura.

Raon unfolded the Frost Pond technique towards the hook slicing through the air. The blade of the Heavenly Drive deflected the hook, and the following frost aura aimed for Shiran’s neck.

Clang!

As expected of a Grandmaster, Shiran calmly raised his fishing rod to block the frosty blade.

‘He seems to know about Frost Pond.’

It was as if he knew about the second blade of Frost Pond, defending himself with his fishing rod. It seemed like he had researched Raon’s martial arts.

‘He did say he pictured my face thousands of times.’

While the opponent had information about Raon, Raon knew little about Shiran, who used an unfamiliar weapon. This would not be an easy fight.

Swoosh!

Shiran spun his fishing rod with his entire body. The spinning bobber and hook stirred up the river, causing a terrifying flow of aura-filled water to reverse its course.

Goooo!

Raon activated the rings of fire. The eight rings wrapped around his heart resonated, opening the upper dantian.

The droplets of water hovering in mid-air fell at a sluggish pace, and the moisture touching his skin felt chilling. In this state of extreme concentration, he advanced towards Shiran.

“Where are you going!”

Shiran stepped on the footwork designed for maintaining distance with the fishing rod and flicked the fishing line.

Raon used the Supreme Harmony Steps to deflect the falling fishing line with his shoulder.

Clang!

The collision of the fishing line and sword produced a booming sound, like rocks crashing together.

Raon narrowed his eyes as he looked at the taut fishing line.

‘It’s not just filled with aura, but also imbued with intent.’

It was too blatant not to notice.

‘Murderous intent.’

It was filled with the desire to kill him.

Warriors usually have their own intent based on the path they have walked. However, Shiran had abandoned his warrior’s intent, replacing it with a desire for revenge. It was like a curse, determined to kill Raon even at the cost of his own life.

Whoosh!

Raon gritted his teeth and pushed back Shiran’s fishing line with the flames of Mana Art.

‘My intent is to never be broken.’

If he could overcome the murderous intent directed at him, he would grow even stronger.

“Hmph!”

Before the fishing line could snap, Shiran let go of the tension himself. He released the force and redirected the hook towards Raon’s right arm.

Instead of the Heavenly Drive he had lowered, Raon drew the Soul Requiem Sword with his left hand. He fiercely slashed at the fishing hook with the blade imbued with frost aura and then charged towards Shiran.

Swoosh!

Shiran used his water-based footwork again to maintain a favorable distance.

‘He’s fast…’

But I’m faster.

Raon advanced with the Supreme Harmony Steps, shattering the turbulent waters. Before the water that had splashed up fell, he took his second step, accelerating so quickly that his vision seemed to darken.

As the Supreme Harmony Steps were linked to his swordsmanship, its speed increased as his sword skills improved. The changes in the footwork after reaching the Grandmaster level were nothing short of an evolution.

“Ugh!”

Realizing he couldn’t escape, Shiran infused a tremendous amount of aura into his fishing rod and struck down.

Raon summoned a wall of flames to intercept the falling rod.

Boom!

The clash of immense power created a massive shockwave that swept through the surroundings. It was as if the river had turned into an ocean, with huge waves surging.

Swoosh!

Shiran wrapped aura around the surging wave to continue his assault. The view in front of Raon was filled with a black wall of water.

Raon slashed the incoming wave with the red line of his Heavenly Drive.

Swoosh!

The crimson line split the center of the aura-infused wave. Through the parted waters, Raon saw Shiran’s trembling eyes.

However, as a seasoned warrior, Shiran widened the distance again and swung his fishing rod from the left. The hook, following the line of the parted river, aimed for Raon’s heart with fierce momentum.

Swoosh!

Raon immediately thrust the Soul Requiem Sword at the hook and exploded the aura of Mana Art he had gathered in his hand.

Mana Art Technique.

Flame Dragon Strike.

A fire dragon born from the flames roared loudly. Its fiery breath evaporated the river water as it extended forward.

Roar!

The Flame Dragon Strike collided with Shiran’s water wave, shaking the entire river. The water surged wildly as if a flood had burst.

“Ugh!”

Shiran’s grip on the fishing rod trembled, revealing a colder, more intense murderous intent.

Raon met Shiran’s twisted gaze and bit his lip.

‘I’ll break even that murderous intent.’

Splash!

The warriors of the South-North Union approaching the boat couldn’t withstand Rimmer’s single strike and fell into the river, blood spraying.

Those approaching from the right were overturned by the highest-ranking water spirit controlled by Siyan before they could even get close.

Leyran shot five arrows into the water. The submerged warriors of the South-North Union surfaced with arrows lodged in their heads.

Meanwhile, Dorian paddled with webbed feet to rescue all the elves who had fallen into the water.

Thanks to their cooperation in the battle against the Flame Demon, they moved naturally without needing to communicate.

“Is everyone here?”

Rimmer narrowed his eyes as he checked the elves on the boat.

“Yes. We’ve rescued everyone.”

Leyran counted the elves and nodded.

“I thought we were doomed, but we’re lucky.”

Rimmer sighed in relief and turned his gaze upstream.

Raon and Shiran were fighting on the turbulent river, engaging in a fierce battle.

‘It’s a pity…’

Masters who wield fishing rods were rare, but he had to leave it all to Raon due to his internal injuries.

‘Wait, did I just think it was a pity?’

He widened his eyes, recalling his earlier thoughts.

‘When was the last time I thought that?’

Even when his dantian was damaged, he had never regretted not being able to fight a master. But now, he regretted not being able to face a strong opponent. It was a thought he hadn’t had since he was young. He wondered why such feelings had suddenly arisen.

‘Could it be…’

Rimmer clicked his tongue as he watched Raon dismantle Shiran’s tricky techniques.

‘Because of his fighting?’

Seeing Raon fight head-on without backing down, regardless of the opponent’s strength, seemed to have ignited a fire in his chest.

He raised his left hand and touched his right shoulder.

Honestly, he hadn’t thought about using an artificial arm. Although he practiced wielding a sword with his left hand, he hadn’t trained intensely. He believed his life as a swordsman was over, having achieved his revenge.

But fighting the Flame Demon with Raon and watching him fight Shiran today seemed to rekindle the fire that had died in his heart.

‘They say leaders lead with their backs…’

Raon had never told him to pick up the sword again.

However, his actions seemed to say otherwise. Raon’s determination and unwavering spirit were telling him to pick up the sword once more.

‘Is he truly becoming a leader?’

Rimmer smiled as he sat comfortably in the boat.

‘It’s time for me to step back, but…’

I won’t live as a retired old man.

—

Shiran intensified the power of his aura by using the waves of the river, creating a terrifying force that surged like a dragon ascending to the heavens.

Swoosh!

Raon relaxed his grip on the Heavenly Drive in his right hand. He used the flow of the turbulent waters to guide his sword, slicing through Shiran’s aura. It was a technique of rising, using the opponent’s strength against them.

“You arrogant brat!”

Shiran ground his teeth and brought down the fishing rod. The fishing rod and line gleamed with murderous intent as they curved through the air.

As the rod descended towards his shoulder, Raon channeled the Mana Art into his legs, propelling himself through the water. He launched himself into Shiran’s space.

The aura from his lower dantian surged up through his middle and upper dantians, forming a vast and unyielding intent. It collided with the murderous intent in Shiran’s fishing rod.

Clang!

The fishing rod and line were fiercely repelled, but Shiran’s assault was not over. With a flick of his fingers, the bobber and hook aimed for Raon’s back.

‘I’m used to this now.’

After continued fighting, Raon had discerned Shiran’s patterns. He could sense the aura of his movements just by looking into his eyes.

Raon twisted his shoulder inward to evade the hook and advanced closer to Shiran. The dense water rose to block his path, but the Soul Requiem Sword’s frosty aura tore through it.

Swoosh!

The blade of the Heavenly Drive finally slashed across Shiran’s chest. Although it was a shallow cut, the intense heat caused the surrounding area to burn black.

“Ugh!”

Shiran gritted his teeth in pain.

“You bastard!”

He retreated to the left, pulling back the fishing rod.

Raon deflected the fishing line with the Soul Requiem Sword and brought down the Heavenly Drive with the precision of the Fang of the Beast technique.

Clang!

The fishing rod, unable to withstand the force, shook violently.

Raon used the Soul Requiem Sword to fend off the fishing line and the Heavenly Drive to overpower the rod, pressing Shiran with sheer force.

“Hehe.”

As they got close enough to hear each other’s heartbeats, Shiran twisted his mouth into a grin.

“You’ve come.”

“What?”

“This is the end!”

With a scream, Shiran forcibly snapped the fishing line. The tensioned line snapped, causing the Soul Requiem Sword to slice through Shiran’s waist sharply.

‘He’s abandoning his weapon?’

As Raon frowned, Shiran smirked and stirred the water with the fishing rod. His old, cunning eyes revealed a resurgence of intense murderous intent.

Roar!

The broad expanse of the Ferenc River surged upwards, forming the shape of a gigantic dragon. The water dragon opened its black maw as if ready to ascend to the heavens. The dragon, filled with an overwhelming amount of pressure, descended with its fangs ready to rip Raon apart.

‘So, this is what he was waiting for.’

Raon had thought Shiran was losing his temper, but it was a trap. Shiran had laid a snare and waited for Raon to step into it. His patience was astonishing, especially given the desire for revenge for his grandson. It was no wonder he had become the head of the Elder Council of the South-North Union.

‘But you’ve given me too much.’

Through the course of the battle, Shiran had given Raon numerous insights. With the advancement of his Mana Art to the eighth level and reaching the Grandmaster stage, he had thoroughly analyzed Shiran’s techniques.

Swoosh!

Raon steadied his Heavenly Drive, aiming it at Shiran’s massive water dragon.

Recalling Glenn’s determined eyes, he took a deep breath and focused on the intent to shatter Shiran’s aura dragon. He pressed his left foot into the water and raised the Heavenly Drive that had been tucked at his waist.

‘If I die, will Glenn avenge me?’

Probably not.

Even though this battle had begun unexpectedly, it was a duel between warriors. Glenn, being the ultimate warrior, would accept the outcome rather than seek revenge.

I believe that too.

Shiran was not someone I aspired to be; Glenn was my goal, my heaven.

With thoughts of Glenn and the intent to never break, Raon gathered the maximum power of Mana Art and Glacier.

“The river cannot reach the sky.”

Sky Piercing Sword, First Form: Sky Piercing Strike.

The enormous light radiating from the blade pierced through the head of the water dragon. The brilliant sword connected with the sky, casting a golden glow.

As the vast blue light engulfed the world again, a black axe flew through the air.

‘What is that!’

Raon raised the Soul Requiem Sword to defend, but the axe was aimed at Shiran’s head.

Boom!